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In a world where subscriptions have become the norm for everything from streaming services to heated car seats, the team at 37signals recently unveiled a new venture that’s poised to reintroduce the notion of software ownership with a pay-once model called ONCE.
In our recent episodes, we’ve been talking about the principles of Shape Up – the cornerstone of 37signals’ product development philosophy. We’ve explored the art of crafting a pitch and the decision-making process that takes place at the betting table.
Recently 37signals co-founders David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried found themselves at the center of an unexpected internet storm. It all began when David made a significant announcement: Turbo 8 would no longer be using TypeScript.
Picture this: a dimly lit room where velvet-robed figures gather in secret to make decisions of paramount importance as the fate of the pitches for the next product development cycle hangs in the balance.
If you’ve been following the Rework podcast, you’re undoubtedly acquainted with the concept of Shape Up, a cornerstone of 37signals’ approach to product development.
In this episode of Rework, host Kimberly Rhodes sits down with 37signals founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson to hear about the company’s fondness for underdogs – small businesses that are scrappy, do more with less, and use creativity over big budgets.
Bugs are an inevitable part of complex software and aiming for complete bug-free perfection is not only unrealistic, but it hinders progress and product delivery.
Knowing when you’re in over your head and recognizing when a project has gone off the rails are crucial aspects of successful project management.
Unlike some tech giants that have notoriously pulled the plug on beloved products (remember Google’s sudden discontinuation of Google Reader?), 37signals takes a vastly different approach with their pledge to support ALL of their products for the life of the internet.
In today’s fast-paced information-saturated world, advice is abundant, but it can be difficult to determine which sources are truly reliable.
You’ve no doubt heard the 37signals team talking about leaving the cloud. Well, now the transition is complete!
This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, join host Kimberly Rhodes to answer listener questions from the recent episode about Two-Person Teams. They tackle topics ranging from two-person team collaboration techniques to their innovative approach to team cooldown...
When should small business owners start paying attention to AI? Is immediate action necessary, or are we already behind?
Time is a valuable resource that often leaves us longing for more hours to conquer our ever-expanding to-do lists. The relentless stream of emails, meetings, and responsibilities can easily hijack our concentration, reminding us that while we have 24 hours at our disposal, we don’t have 24 hours of...
It’s been more than seven months since Elon Musk purchased Twitter. Since then, a reported 80% of the company has been let go, reducing their staff from just under 8,000 employees to around 1,500.
In a time when many companies are disregarding profitability and spending recklessly, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have taken a different approach at 37signals. They believe that caring about costs is a timely concern and a fundamental principle for running a successful small business.
If you’ve been following along with the podcast, you’ve heard the mention of two-person teams and how 37signals makes the most of its software features and productivity with just two people working together—one programmer and one designer.
On the previous episode of the Rework podcast, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, joined host Kimberly Rhodes to answer listener questions and share their insights on various topics such as project ownership, attracting talent, and building a successful team.
On last week’s Rework podcast, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, joined host Kimberly Rhodes to answer listener questions about their approach to design, decision-making, and more.
In this episode of Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, join host Kimberly Rhodes to answer questions posed by Rework listeners.
In this episode of Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, join host Kimberly Rhodes to discuss the power of taking sabbaticals as business owners.
In October 2022, 37signals announced they would transition off cloud services in a post titled “Why We’re Leaving the Cloud.”
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, advocate for taking extended breaks from work, as outlined in their book "It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work." While this practice is relatively common in many parts of the world, it’s less common in North America.
Remote work has become increasingly popular in recent years, offering several benefits, such as increased flexibility and the ability to work anywhere globally.
Writing is crucial for communication and collaboration in both remote and in-person organizations.
“Everyone should manage themselves” has been a core principle at 37signals from day one and has continued to be key as the company has expanded.
37signals has undergone some name changes since its inception over 20 years ago: starting as 37signals in 1999, then changing to Basecamp in 2014, before switching back to 37signals in 2022.
Are you working over 40 hours a week while putting your personal life on hold?
If you follow Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the co-founders of 37signals, anywhere online, you know they aren’t afraid to speak their minds and stand up for what they believe in.
“When dealing with customers, especially those that are angry, there are always two tokens on the table. One is the token for it just doesn’t matter. It’s not a big deal. And the other token is it’s the end of the world. We pick one, and the customer picks the other.”—Chase Clemons
What is your method of connecting with your customers? Does your product or service make sense to them, and do you understand how they see it?
With the year ending, it’s a good time to reflect on how far you’ve come in the past year as a company.
A small business has many benefits, like being able to move quickly, stay flexible and pivot when needed, something big businesses can’t do as easily.
Customer relationships don’t have to last forever. Keeping your hands wrapped around every customer will only lead to trying to evolve into something you’re not is the death knell for your business.
“Getting out of estimates and getting into appetites and budgets is the single most important thing that we have instituted,” - David Heinemeier Hansson
There’s a lot of talk in the tech world about getting bigger, growing as fast as you can, and getting investor money so you can scale quickly.
Throughout its tenure, 37signals has consistently grown without spending much on marketing.
Small BusinessMeetups offer remote companies an opportunity to gather away from the day-to-day for more in-depth conversations that foster deeper relationships for the team and bigger leaps for the company.
Small BusinessCo-founders of 37signals, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss decision making within an organization. Small businesses have the advantage of being nimble and able to change course quickly, so there’s no reason to get caught up in the “what ifs.”
Small Business, DHH and Jason FriedCloud services have been used by tech companies for many years, but it’s not the only way. Hear why 37signals is making the decision to go in another direction.
Big TechYou’ve been working on a thing for days, weeks, maybe months and you’re still nowhere near finishing. Our natural instinct is to say, “I’ve already put this much time and energy into it, might as well finish.” Well, most of the time this is wrong. You’re not getting that time back either way and...
Rework RevisitedBuilding and maintaining momentum is one of the most underrated things you can do when building products. Keep moving forward by shipping work early and often. The longer something takes, the less likely it is you’ll finish it. At 37signals, we work in six-week cycles, but even six weeks is a long...
Rework RevisitedAt 37signals, we tend to solve problems by finding a “judo solution.” The simplest, easiest, cheapest solution that gets you 90% of the way there. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be great. It just has to be good enough. Part of this is reframing and simplifying the problem itself....
Rework RevisitedMeetings are the worst type of interruption. A one-hour meeting with five people is actually five hours of productivity lost. They’re also horrible at conveying information. So, why do so many companies jump to meetings as the first option. Next time try writing something up, jumping on a a...
Rework RevisitedA close look at how we develop features at 37signals. Designer Michelle Harjani walks Shaun through the entire process of making the Bubble Up Feature in HEY.
Basecamp Behind the Scenes, HEYHaving a calendar peppered with meetings or other commitments is horrible for productivity. Most people need at least a few hours or even days of completely uninterrupted alone time in order to do their best work. On this episode Jason and David give some strategies for creating the empty space you...
Rework RevisitedAre you doing work that matters or are you just doing what you think you should be doing? Sinking too much time into something that you should have quit working on weeks ago is an easy trap to fall into. Avoid it by asking yourself some simple questions:
Rework RevisitedSimply describing your pitch can cause the illusion of agreement. Everyone may have a completely different idea of what you’re talking about. Try sketching it out, hum the melody you want to create, or, better yet, start building the thing. Removing these levels of abstraction ensures everyone is on...
Rework RevisitedIf you had to launch your thing in just two weeks what would you cut out? Put off anything you don’t absolutely need for launch. You can always build that stuff later when you have more information. It’s best to just get it out there!
Rework RevisitedHenry Ford turned wood scraps from Model T production into charcoal. That company is now called Kingsford and it’s the leading manufacturer of charcoal in America. 37signals was a small web design firm before it started selling the project management tool it made to communicate with clients. That’s...
Rework Revisited